12. Ryder

The soft light of morning filters through the curtains as Gia stirs beside me, her soft breaths a gentle rhythm against my chest. I press a tender kiss to the top of her head, my heart swelling with affection as I brush a strand of hair from her face.

"Good morning, beautiful," I murmur, my voice husky with sleep. "Why don"t you hop in the shower? I"ll go make us some breakfast."

She nods sleepily, a contented smile gracing her lips as she stretches languidly beneath the covers. "Sounds good. I"ll be down in a bit."

As Gia makes her way downstairs, the tantalizing aroma of coffee fills the air, mingling with the savory scent of eggs and cheese wafting from the kitchen. I turn to greet her with a smile, a sense of pride swelling within me as I see the grin spread across her face.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," I tease, pouring her a cup of coffee and handing it to her with a flourish. "I hope you like omelets because that"s what"s on the menu this morning.

Her eyes light up with excitement as she takes a sip of her coffee, her grin widening as she watches me expertly flip the omelet in the pan. "I love them," she exclaims, her voice filled with genuine enthusiasm. "And watching you cook is just an added bonus."

I laugh at her playful flirtation, the warmth of her gaze sending a jolt of electricity through me.

"Well, in that case, I"ll have to cook for you more often," I reply with a wink, feeling the familiar thrill of primal hunger building between us.

As we sit down to breakfast, I'm grateful for how intimate and easy things feel between us.

"Any plans for the day?" I ask casually, trying to keep the conversation light despite the weight of desire burning within me.

Gia shakes her head, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she leans in closer, her voice dropping to a seductive whisper. "No plans."

I feel a surge of desire racing through me at her words, the heat of her gaze searing through me like wildfire.

"In that case," I reply with a smirk, my voice low and husky with desire. "You do now."

Gia"s eyes sparkle with curiosity as she gazes at me, her lips curving into a playful smile. "So, is this a surprise too?"

"For Chloe, it is," I reply with a grin. "But for you, I thought I"d let you in on the secret. We"re going to the zoo."

"The zoo? That sounds amazing! I love animals."

I nod, feeling a surge of satisfaction at her enthusiastic response. "That"s not all," I continue, unable to contain my own excitement. "I was able to arrange for us to visit the vet hospital on-site. They recently rescued twin baby cheetahs whose mother passed away, and they"re being bottle-fed. Chloe will have the chance to feed them."

Her eyes light up with wonder, a soft gasp escaping her lips. "That sounds incredible," she breathes, her voice filled with awe. "I can"t wait to see it."

As we arrive at Ren"s house to pick up Chloe, the excitement in the air is palpable, anticipation buzzing like electricity between us. Chloe bounds out of the house with a squeal of delight, her eyes shining with excitement as she bounces up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Aunt Ren gave me the best sleepover ever!" Chloe exclaims, her words tumbling out in a rush of excitement. "We had manicures and pedicures and facials, and we ate pizza and ice cream and watched Frozen movies all night!"

"All night?"

"Yeah!"

Gia and I exchange a knowing smile at Chloe"s exuberance, her joy infectious as she chatters away animatedly about her adventures with Ren.

We make our way to the zoo and Chloe"s laughter fills the air as she continues to tell us about her sleepover, her eyes shining with excitement at the thought of the adventures that await us.

And as we arrive at the zoo and make our way to the vet hospital, I can"t help but feel a sense of pride swell within me at the sight of Chloe"s wide-eyed wonder. She"s like a sponge, soaking up every moment with unabashed enthusiasm, her laughter echoing through the halls as we step into the room where the baby cheetahs are kept.

"This is the best day ever, Daddy. The best surprise in the world. Can I keep them?"

"No, you can't," I chuckle.

"But you can come back anytime to help feed them," the vet tech helping us laughs.

"I would love that," Chloe sighs.

"We should probably get to exploring the rest of the zoo," I tell her.

As we wander through the zoo, Chloe takes Gia"s hand and leads her through the penguin house, her excitement bubbling over as she points out the vibrant colors and unique features of each bird. Gia listens with rapt attention, her eyes shining with wonder as she takes in the sights and sounds of the bustling enclosure.

I watch them together, a sense of pride swelling within me at the sight of how close the two of them have gotten. Gia fits seamlessly into our little family, her easy rapport with Chloe a testament to the depth of her kindness and compassion.

She can be the mom that Chloe never got to know.

At times, I notice someone following us. It's a man that I've seen before but I can't place where. There's also a woman who seems to be everywhere that Gia is.

Am I imagining it?

Throughout the day, Gia and I steal moments whenever we can. I press soft kisses to her cheek whenever Chloe"s attention is elsewhere, relishing the sweetness of her laughter as it fills the air around us.

As the day draws to a close and we make our way back to the car, exhaustion weighs heavily on our limbs, but our hearts are light with the memories we"ve made. I glance at Gia as she walks beside me, her smile radiant in the fading light of evening, and I know that this is just the beginning of our journey together.

"Thank you for today," she murmurs softly, her voice filled with gratitude. "I had such a wonderful time."

I smile at her, my heart swelling with affection at the sight of her beside me. "I did too," I reply honestly, squeezing her hand gently. "And I promise, there will be many more adventures to come."

Her smile widens at my words.

"This was the best day ever, Daddy," Chloe murmurs sleepily from the back. "I'm glad, baby."She's asleep in no time.

I reach over and take Gia's hand in mine.

"Stay with me tonight?"

"I don't know that I should when Chloe is there. Not yet anyway."

"I appreciate that, but it's okay. It"s not that she"s seen me invite women over… just you."

"I'd rather wait, I don't feel comfortable yet."

"Okay," I breathe as I pull her hand up to my mouth and kiss it softly.

As I pull up in front of Gia"s cottage, a pang of reluctance grips my heart at the thought of saying goodbye. I watch as she steps out of the car, her smile warm and genuine despite the weariness that lingers in her eyes. With a heavy sigh, I lean over and press a tender kiss to her cheek, lingering for a moment longer than necessary before reluctantly pulling away.

"Good night, Gia," I murmur softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Good night, Ryder," she replies, her voice tinged with sadness as she makes her way up the steps to her cottage.

I watch her go, a sense of longing gnawing at the pit of my stomach as I wait for her to disappear inside.

I drive home in silence, the evening"s revelations weighing heavily on my mind. Chloe sleeps soundly, her small form curled up in her backseat, blissfully unaware of the turmoil that churns within me.

As I pull into the driveway, I glance up at the porch and notice an envelope lying there, its contents a mystery to me. I carry Chloe inside and tuck her into bed before returning downstairs to investigate.

I lock up the house and set the alarms, my senses on high alert as I cautiously approach the envelope. With trembling hands, I tear it open and my heart sinks as I see the contents within.

Inside are passports with pictures of Gia as the photo, but her name is different on each passport. A note attached to the photographs sends a shudder through me.

Gia Bennett isn't at all who she claims or seems to be. Don't get pulled into her web of deceit. You shouldn't invite her into your home and life for the risk of losing everything.

Could it be true?

Could Gia be hiding secrets from me, secrets that could shatter the fragile trust that has formed between us? The thought sends a chill through my body, a cold sweat breaking out on the back of my neck as I contemplate the implications of the note"s warning.

But even as doubt clouds my judgment, a stubborn voice whispers in the back of my mind, urging me to trust my heart and the connection that has formed between Gia and me. I"ve seen the kindness in her eyes, and felt the warmth of her touch, and I refuse to believe that it"s all an act.

The next morning Chloe pads into the kitchen while I'm making breakfast.

"Where's Gia?"

"She's at home."

"She left this morning without telling me bye?"

"She didn't stay, baby. You were sound asleep in the car last night when we dropped her off."

"Oh. Will she come over today?"

"I don't know. I can ask."

She grins widely and sits down at the kitchen table.

"What are we going to do today, Daddy?"

"Swimming?"

"Okay."

"That was easy."

She shrugs as I put a plate of food in front of her. She starts eating and is quiet. My mind begins to wander about the envelope on the front porch.

Good morning.

I text Gia before I sit down to eat breakfast with Chloe.

Could the envelope be related to the people I keep seeing following her? Am I just paranoid and they're not really following her?

An hour later, Chloe and I are in the pool playing when my watch begins vibrating, alerting me to a call. Glancing at the caller ID, I see that it"s Josh.

"Uncle Josh is calling," I tell Chloe as I wade to where my phone is on the side of the pool.

"Hey, Josh, what"s up?"

"Hey, Ryder. Listen, something weird happened this morning," Josh begins, his voice tinged with a hint of concern.

"Weird? What happened?"

"I found this strange envelope on my porch," Josh explains. "It had a message inside, warning me not to trust Gia because "the apple doesn"t fall far from the tree.""

My mind races as I try to process this information. "That"s... bizarre," I mutter, my brow furrowing. "I actually got something similar last night when we came home from the zoo."

"You did?" Josh sounds genuinely surprised. "What did yours say?"

""Don"t trust Gia, she"s not who she seems,"" I reply, feeling my stomach drop, a sense of unease filling me. The implications of these messages are unnerving, to say the least.

"Do you think Mia could have sent them?" Josh asks, echoing my own thoughts.

"It"s possible," I admit reluctantly. "I"ve noticed some tension between her and Gia lately, but I can"t put my finger on the reason."

"I"m not going to tell Gia about it yet," he finally says. "I want to see if anything else happens first."

"I was thinking the same thing."

After a brief exchange of goodbyes, we hang up. But before I can return to my work, a nagging feeling tugs at me. I reach for my phone and shoot a quick text to Kline, informing him about the mysterious envelope and the unsettling message it contained.

As I hit send, I can"t shake the feeling of unease that lingers in the back of my mind. And to make matters worse, I realize something unsettling—despite having a Ring doorbell installed, there"s no notification of anyone being on my porch last night. I go to the app to see if I can find the video for the entire time we were gone, and there"s certainly no footage of someone dropping off that ominous envelope.

Someone knew what they were doing.